Chapter 483: Entering the Heavenly Phenomenon

The sword light was as lithe as a dragon, clashing head-on amidst the wind and thunder filling the sky.

A booming sound erupted at the point of impact, and heaven and earth seemed to turn into a chaotic void.

In the end, the wind and thunder filling the sky dissipated, but the sword light also became faint.

Yet, as the person holding the sword flicked their wrist, the sword light shone with brilliance once more.

Like a flying ribbon of silk, like an aurora in the dark night, it stabbed straight forward.

The sword light was glorious and swift; no one could describe the changes and brilliance of this sword, nor could anyone describe the speed of this sword.

This sword seemed to have ignored the distance of time and space; the sword light seemed to flash, and the next moment it pierced into the golden chest of the Bronze Patriarch, the entire blade sinking in, with blood gushing out.

A look of astonishment appeared on the Bronze Patriarch's ancient, simple face, as if he still could not believe that the opponent had broken his strongest strike with just a single sword.

The Wisdom King Faxiang behind him drifted in the wind, nearly transparent, rippling from time to time as if it would scatter with a single gust, completely devoid of its initial solidity.

However, the Bronze Patriarch was worthy of being a Transcendent Immortal.

Even after taking a sword from Yu Liancheng, he suddenly roared, his entire body radiating an aura akin to a Manghuang beast.

His eyes turned red, and the Wisdom King Faxiang behind him turned from void to solid once more, revealing an image of great wrath and great terror, black energy surging as he prepared to perish together with Yu Liancheng, a fight to the death.

"Idiot."

Yu Liancheng's face held a cold sneer as he flicked his wrist.

The Bronze Patriarch let out a muffled groan, his complexion instantly turning as pale as paper, his aura dissipating like a collapsing flood, and the Wisdom King Faxiang behind him returned to nothingness.

It turned out that Yu Liancheng had just transmitted a strand of Broken Force into his longsword, "Ding Feng Bo".

"Ding Feng Bo" had previously suffered heavy damage, and now the blade had directly shattered into fragments, each fragment carrying residual Broken Force, dancing and cutting inside the Bronze Patriarch's abdomen. Though no wounds were visible on the surface, he had actually suffered severe internal injuries, his five viscera and bones churned into a mess.

"Good, good, good..."

The Bronze Patriarch glared at Yu Liancheng with hatred, his gaze flickering slightly, and a phantom figure almost identical to the Bronze Patriarch appeared, attempting to detach from his physical body and flee.

As a Transcendent Immortal and one of the few top experts in the world, the Bronze Patriarch was naturally capable of Primordial Spirit Exiting Aperture, allowing him to escape a thousand miles away.

To him, although his physical body was not as important as that of a Buddhist Vajra, it was still an important dharma treasure for transcending the sea of bitterness.

If he wanted to recover his current strength, he feared it would take at least several decades of wasted time. As for the future gamble with "Heaven", the chances of losing were already ninety percent.

"Die!!"

Yu Liancheng held up a finger.

At the very moment the Bronze Patriarch's Primordial Spirit was about to leave its shell, a faint trace of sword light flew out, piercing into the forehead of his physical body and pinning his Primordial Spirit in place as well.

The small sword at his forehead was none other than "Li Jing", which possessed extreme lethality toward the Primordial Spirit.

The Bronze Patriarch's body immediately flew sideways.

With a scream, his head exploded like a watermelon, and his Primordial Spirit dissipated completely.

Yu Liancheng retrieved Li Jing.

He looked back, scanning his surroundings, but could not help but slightly furrow his brows.

He had intended to cut the weeds and eliminate the roots, but Tuoba Pusa was gone.

"I want to see just how far you can run?!"

Yu Liancheng lightly tapped his glabella, and an invisible God-sense surged out, turning into a ripple that expanded, sweeping across a radius of several hundred zhang in the blink of an eye.

"So you brought a helper, but he's a coward too."

Yu Liancheng chuckled, and strands of energy surged from beneath his feet, instantly merging into the ground.

Once the energy merged into the mountain rocks and soil, it instantly became extremely sharp, each strand turning into a blade capable of cutting gold and jade, rapidly slicing up the ground.

As Yu Liancheng's mind stirred, a large chunk of soil that had been sliced off slowly floated up, and under the wrapping of the energy, it contracted violently, becoming harder than solid rock.

"Fly."

Yu Liancheng flicked his sleeve, and the soil flew out like a meteorite, its speed incredibly fast, accompanied by a whistling wind.

When it flew thirty zhang away, the soil exploded with a boom, scattering in all directions like raindrops.

In the void where no one had been, two people suddenly stumbled and retreated; one of them was naturally Tuoba Pusa, who had been severely wounded by the "Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens". As for the other, it was an old man with hair like frost and snow.

"Murong Wudi's methods are truly remarkable; this old man admires them greatly."

The old man dusted off his clothes, a kind and amiable smile on his face, though his complexion appeared somewhat pale, and he bowed to Yu Liancheng.

"Li Mibi, the head of the Spider Web?" Yu Liancheng raised an eyebrow.

"That would be me."

The old man smiled slightly; it was no surprise that the other party could identify him. After all, although he was an old man, his fame was truly not small.

The Liyang Dynasty had Zhao Gou, an intelligence and assassination organization, and the Beimang Dynasty likewise had a tight Spider Web that shrouded the entire dynasty.

The person who created the Spider Web was precisely this kind-faced old man before him; this person was deeply trusted by the Female Emperor, and his hands controlled almost all the dark forces of the Beimang Empire. He appeared kind, but was actually ruthless.

Furthermore, as the head of the Spider Web, his strength was naturally extraordinary, especially in the art of stealth and assassination, where his attainments were almost unmatched.

It is worth mentioning that one of the eight great experts mentioned earlier, Yi Jie Liu, was his son.

In fact, Li Mibi had also participated in this operation. It was just that his existence was unknown to everyone except Tuoba Pusa, and even the Bronze Patriarch did not know.

The eight experts including Tuoba were in the light, while he, Li Mibi, was in the dark, ready to assassinate at any time. As the ancestor of the Spider Web, even when his son was killed, he did not show the slightest ripple of emotion.

Seeing that the plan had failed, he had intended to take Tuoba Pusa away while Yu Liancheng was dealing with the Bronze Patriarch.

Tuoba Pusa was not only the number one expert of Beimang but also the Military God of Beiman, holding significant importance to the entire Beimang, even more than the other seven experts combined.

Once Tuoba Pusa died, the military morale of the entire Beimang would certainly be dealt a blow. Therefore, no matter what, Li Mibi had to take him away, even if it meant losing his own life.

Li Mibi had been very confident in his stealth techniques, but unfortunately, he had encountered Yu Liancheng. His God-sense had faintly detected a fluctuation, and he had successfully forced the two out.

"No wonder you dared to save someone from my hands, but aren't you afraid of dying here yourself?" Yu Liancheng stood with his hands behind his back, looking calmly at Li Mibi and the other.

"Afraid, of course I'm afraid. The older one gets, the more one fears death. Old things like us are even more afraid of death than young people." Li Mibi sighed: "Fortunately, this old man still has one move left. But this move is truly too risky; although this old man was hesitant, at this moment, I have no choice but to play this piece..."

Having said that, he sighed again.

Yu Liancheng felt something in his heart, looked up at the sky, and a rare look of surprise appeared on his face: "So this is your other trump card?! It's certainly powerful!"

I do not know when it began, but the gentle breeze turned into a howling gale, and the clouds in the sky rolled together into a mass, stained with a layer of ink; in an instant, black clouds billowed and pressed down.

Occasionally, purple light appeared within the dark clouds, and the sound of muffled thunder rumbled; it was clear that an unprecedentedly great storm was brewing.

What truly surprised Yu Liancheng was a True Dragon that appeared and disappeared amidst the dark clouds; it was ferocious yet carried a trace of solemn sanctity, its whiskers drifting, its scales and claws flying, twisting and changing. That pair of golden pupils occasionally looked down, as if a God were looking down upon Yu Liancheng.

This was actually a True Dragon.

In the world, there is a saying about wild dragons and snakes: a great python stays in the mountains, enters a river to become a Flood Dragon, and only then can it finally ascend the gate to become a dragon.

During the Spring and Autumn period of the nine states, the flames of war flew; aside from Western Shu, which had locked away a True Dragon since ancient times, the eight states each had a True Dragon born from the gestation of Luck. It was only after the Liyang Dynasty unified the world that the True Dragons went into hiding.

Yet, few people knew that Northern Mang had also raised a True Dragon.

A Qi Luck True Dragon.

Naturally, it was in preparation for a future invasion of the Central Plains.

And now, this True Dragon was the final trump card to deal with Yu Liancheng.

"Ang!" A dragon roar rang out, magnificent and surging, continuous and unending; suddenly, a vast and mighty power poured into Yu Liancheng.

Yu Liancheng could have dodged, but he did not.

Because what was pouring down was the dynasty's Luck, which even the immortals in heaven would covet.

And when this surge of Luck was completely absorbed by Yu Liancheng, his entire body's Qi suddenly changed; it was as if he had become a world unto himself, where the changes of the four seasons, wind, clouds, thunder, and lightning were nothing more than a movement of his heart and mind.

Originally, Yu Liancheng's absorption of the essence of heaven and earth was already fast enough, but at this moment, it was more than twice as fast as before.

"Am I... about to ascend to the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm?!" Yu Liancheng felt this wondrous state of mind, and as the truth dawned on him, he could not help but laugh out loud: "I see they are not trying to harm me, but helping me."

A True Dragon is by nature an existence that commands wind and thunder, calling for wind and rain.

Coupled with the fact that this True Dragon carries the Luck of Northern Mang, to a certain extent, it can influence the Heavenly Tribulation.

Now, Yu Liancheng was only one step away from ascending to the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm.

The Heavenly Phenomenon Realm requires Heavenly Human Induction; excessive killing will be affected by the number of fates, greatly increasing the difficulty of responding to the tribulation, such as in the case of Han Shengxuan.

Furthermore, some people are born different; when crossing the tribulation, they are highly likely to be envied by heaven, facing a life-and-death struggle. Xu Longxiang was born in the Vajra Realm, and the reason he delayed crossing the tribulation was for this very reason.

As for Yu Liancheng.

He looked at the purple lightning flashing wildly in the dark clouds.

He smiled slightly again.

It has always been that heaven envies his handsome face, right?

Thunder rumbled in bursts, the tribulation clouds gathered in billows, and the great tribulation had arrived.

Only a heaven-shaking and earth-shattering roar was heard, and a bolt of purple heavenly lightning tore through the sky, crashing down toward Yu Liancheng with a boom.

"Tsk tsk, you want to destroy me? You'll have to see if you have the ability."

Facing the incoming heavenly lightning, Yu Liancheng wore a wanton and arrogant smile on his face; he stomped his foot fiercely, flew toward the purple lightning, swung his arm, and punched straight up.

Boom!

The purple light illuminated the heavens and the earth, and all shadows were swallowed. Only that figure, black as an abyss, appeared even more clearly outlined in the light.

"This guy... sigh... In my life, I have made countless decisions. Since following the Female Emperor, every decision has been more likely to affect the lives of thousands. Regardless of whether the decision was wrong afterward, I have never felt regret or unease, but now..."

Li Mibi looked at the figure in the sky and let out another soft sigh.

Tuoba Pusa coughed, yet he understood his current mood very well.

Murong Tonghuang's strength is too great; currently, this is the only way to stop him. Otherwise, let alone killing the opponent, today the two of them might not even be able to keep their lives here.

Using the Luck accumulated by Northern Mang to let the opponent ascend to a Heavenly Phenomenon expert—if the opponent can survive the great tribulation, that would be stealing a chicken only to lose the rice.

Moreover, this Murong Tonghuang already had such terrifying strength in the Finger Profound Realm; if he reaches the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm, how powerful would he be? For Northern Mang, this is undoubtedly a nightmare.

Of course, this is because they do not know that most of Yu Liancheng's martial arts cultivation stems from another cultivation system, and the Nine Grades Martial Dao can only be considered auxiliary. Even if he ascends to the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm, there will not be a qualitative leap. Of course, his strength will certainly still improve.

Li Mibi looked again in the direction of the Heavenly Tribulation, only to see that black figure standing in the heavens and earth, head held high in confrontation with heaven, his whole body carrying a majestic fighting spirit, swinging his fists without hesitation, punching toward the firmament one after another, as if treating the Heavenly Tribulation as an opponent he could fight.

In the Thunder Pool of the Heavenly Tribulation, the golden pupils of the Northern Mang True Dragon flashed with a human-like ecstasy, swallowing mouthfuls of the purple lightning that represented the punishment of heaven and earth. And with every mouthful of purple lightning it swallowed, its body expanded by a fraction, and its aura became a fraction more formidable.

Clearly, this purple lightning was of great benefit to it.

"General Tuoba, let us go."

Li Mibi turned and said to Tuoba Pusa, who was adjusting his breath to heal his wounds.

Tuoba Pusa frowned: "Why is this? Even if we do not interfere with the Heavenly Tribulation, we can quietly wait for the tribulation to end and see the result. If Murong Tonghuang dies under the Heavenly Tribulation, it is naturally a happy ending for all. If he does not die, then he will be at his weakest, and we can take his life."

"How could I not know that? But if he survives the Heavenly Tribulation and still retains the strength to kill you and me, then what? We cannot take the risk now. If I die, I die, but you, General, must survive; otherwise, the morale of the army will surely be in chaos."

Li Mibi gave a bitter smile and explained further: "And right now, with the True Dragon here, the True Dragon is swallowing the purple lightning and growing stronger by the day. If Murong Tonghuang is truly weakened, he will inevitably be killed by the True Dragon. And the True Dragon can soar, can be large or small, can be hidden or revealed; even if it is not a match, it is easier for it to escape than us."

Tuoba Pusa was silent.

He turned his head again to look at the Heavenly Tribulation.

He saw the purple lightning rolling, pouring down endlessly like a breached heavenly river.

The explosive thunder intertwined and dispersed between heaven and earth, and thousands of thunderbolts erupted, presenting a magnificently gorgeous scene.

Such a terrifying scene of crossing the tribulation, let alone having seen it, he had never even heard of it.

In a trance, it seemed as if a God controlling thunder sat high above the clouds, wanting to annihilate this peerless expert whose martial power was enough to rival Lv Zu five hundred years ago; it was truly divine might like a prison.

And in the center of the thunder, the figure in black, like a mountain, stood firm, waving his fists incessantly.

Every punch colliding with the thunder immediately erupted into a terrifying scene as if the heavens and earth were being destroyed.

"Let's go."

For some reason, this Third in the World felt a bit listless.

Perhaps it was because he had lost the opportunity to kill the First in the World.

Or perhaps it was because, after witnessing the true strength of the First in the World, he knew he would never be able to surpass his opponent in this lifetime.

The two turned around, but the black figure bathed in the thunder suddenly turned back, his smile wanton and arrogant, making the two feel that something was wrong.

"Haha, the two of you are leaving? Let me see you off." He saw that person actually pull off a section of purple lightning, pull his arm back, and make a throwing motion.

The next moment.

Yu Liancheng actually turned the purple lightning into a long spear and threw it with a "whoosh" toward Tuoba Pusa and Li Mibi.

The two were shocked and immediately fled in two different directions.

However, the purple lightning spear exploded from within, transforming into a web of thunder and lightning that instantly enveloped the two, accompanied by a series of booming sounds.

Yu Liancheng paid them no further mind, for the purple lightning had become increasingly violent; he took a deep breath, his expression solemn as he looked at the tribulation clouds filling the sky.

"Come on!!"

Today, I shall transcend the Heavenly Tribulation and enter the Heavenly Phenomenon.